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Event Details

3.05pm "The Role of Ministry of External Affairs in Formulation of India's Foreign Policy"

H.E. Jawed Ashraf

High Commissioner of India to Singapore

Chairperson: Dr Iftekhar A. Chowdhury

Principal Research Fellow, Institute of South Asian StudiesNational University of Singapore

4.00pm Question & Answer Session

4.30pm End of Lecture

Abstract

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has the lead responsibility in formulating and managing India’s foreign policy and external engagement with the primary mission of supporting India’s economic transformation amidst uniquely complex security challenges, rapidly changing global economy and growing geopolitical uncertainties. It pursues its goals in conjunction with key ministries such as defence, finance and commerce, intelligence agencies and the National Security Advisor to PM and the associated National Security Council Secretariat. The roles and inputs vary depending on the subjects and the regions being dealt. Prime Minister and the Prime Minister’s Office has traditionally played a role in setting strategic directions, dealing with politically sensitive issues and resolving inter-departmental issues. In general, this has also given MEA leadership high level of direct access to Prime Minister. At the political level, the Cabinet Committee on Security and the National Security Council act as decision making and deliberative body. Parliamentary accountability exists in the form of Committee hearings and instructions and questions and debates, and occasional resolutions, in the Parliament. Business, media and other independent stake holders play an increasingly important role in shaping priorities and policies. In India’s federal set up, foreign policy is an exclusively Central subject, but states have stakes in and seek to influence policies relating to neighbouring countries. Broadly, MEA enjoys a high degree of autonomy and authority in conduct of foreign relations.

MEA is often accused of being small in strength relative to its mandate and India’s role. However, MEA has largely adapted well to the changing and expanding mandate, has been innovative in practice, used social media and communication technology effectively and improved interface with other government departments and agencies. It has begun engaging more intensely with the think tank community in India and abroad. It has also taken steps to increase its strength.

About the Speaker

Mr. Jawed Ashraf joined as High Commissioner of India in the Republic of Singapore on 16 November 2016 and presented his credentials on 23 November 2016.

A career diplomat, High Commissioner Ashraf joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1991. He served in Frankfurt and Berlin from 1993 to 1999. He worked in the Americas Division of Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi from 1999 to 2004. He completed a three-year tenure as Counsellor at the Embassy in Kathmandu in 2007. From 2007 to 2010, he served as Counsellor and Minister for Political Affairs in Washington DC and then headed the Americas Division in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi from 2010 to 2012.

High Commissioner Ashraf served as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister‘s Office under former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and then Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. His portfolio included External Affairs, Defence, National Security Council, Atomic Energy and Space. He returned to Ministry of External Affairs in January 2016 and was Joint Secretary (Special Projects) until his appointment in Singapore.

High Commissioner Ashraf studied Economics at St. Stephen‘s College, New Delhi and Management at Master‘s level at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

He recently published a coffee table book of his photographs, “A Day in the Life of Kathmandu”, dedicated to the victims of the Nepal earthquake of April 2015. Outdoor interests include tennis and trekking in Himalaya.

He is married to Dr. Ghazala Shahabuddin, an ecologist and conservation biologist.

Thursday, 16 February 2017 from 15:00 to 16:30 (Singapore Standard Time Singapore Time)

Organiser

Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), National University of Singapore

The Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) is an autonomous research institute at National University of Singapore. The establishment of ISAS reflects the increasing economic and political importance of South Asia, and the strong historical links between South Asia and Southeast Asia. ISAS is dedicated to research on contemporary South Asia. The Institute seeks to promote understanding of the region, and to communicate the knowledge and insights about it to policymakers, the business community, academia and civil society, in Singapore and beyond.